Friday, January 1, 2010

I Resolve to Resolve Nothing

Happy New Year, friends! It's actually New Years Eve as I write this. I hope this first morn of 2010 finds everyone happy and not hung-over.

True to my predictions, T and I didn't do anything fancy for New Years Eve. He's sitting in the other room right now, watching a documentary on World War II. I'm in the family room because I didn't find the sound of Adolf Hitler's voice conducive to good blogging.

In fact, right now I am wearing some old mukluk slippers, eating a Chocolate Chunk Oat Bar, and drinking a mocha from Panera.

I figure if I can't be at a glitzy party wearing a pair of Louboutins, this is the next best thing. Classy, huh?

Comfort is key when pondering the future, and I've been considering my goals for 2010.

I don't do resolutions because as some others have said, resolving to do something (right away, cold turkey) can often lead straight to a feeling of failure. Knowing my laziness, I feel like setting something to reach for (so long as I don't have to reach very far) makes it feel more doable.

Here are the goals I came up with as I sit in my winter finery.

Home & Family

~ Find a housekeeping schedule that works. Mandi at Finding Home posted a wonderful idea for a Home Notebook. The obsessive, Type A side of me likes lists. Oh yes, she does. This is right up her alley.

~ Implement the Responsibility Chart I got for Natalie. She's old enough to do some chores, and she seems to love "monies," so I figure a quarter is enough incentive to get her to make her bed, clean up her toys, and clear the table.

~ Meal planning. Jen is great at this. I am not. I need to sit down with someone who knows what she's doing and find some sort of coupon system that works. Because clipping the $1 off Pampers coupon and then shoving it to the bottom of my Dooney & Bourke bag ain't gonna cut it.

I have a great cookbook with some freezer meal recipes that I'd like to try out, as well as introducing some more healthy options. I do great with getting fruits and vegetables into my kids' diets...not so much with me.

~ Thrifty Makeovers: Our master bedroom, the Kitchen, and Michaela Byrd's room are crying out to be made over. In a thrifty manner. But still looking good. I'm up for the challenge.

~ Family Time. More of it.

Blogging Goals

~ Continue posting regularly each day, Monday to Friday

~ Host some new parties...I have a few things up my sleeve

~ Continue visiting my favorite blogs and commenting. If you don't take time to build community, there's just no point to blogging, in my opinion.

~ Work on ways to grow my blogI'm in the process of choosing someone to redesign this spot and give it a clean, fresh look. I'd like to trick entice some bloggers or companies I like to sponsor me...it would be a great way to pay for some of the changes I'd like to implement.

Health

~ Spiritual: Find a good Bible study and stick to it (this will require major planning, as I've been staying up late and getting up in the mornings with just enough time to get Natalie out the door to preschool)

~ Mental-Blogging is a wonderful way for me to express myself and get things out of my head-Mommy Time Outs--> whether it's a night out for my Chick Flick Club, a date night with T (those are few and far between), or a mommy-daughter date with one of my girls, I think it's good to have some time away from the house every now and then.

~PhysicalblehI absolutely must sit down and begin to schedule some more time at the gym. If I had the moolah, I'd hire a trainer right away. For now, I'll settle for begging a local friend to meet me and hold me accountable.

You may remember my sister challenging me to run a 5k and then upping the ante a few weeks later. I wisely held off on training because I knew she'd be distracted by something shiny and change her mind. Now she has some wild idea that I will walk a 1/2 marathon with her in May. I still think this is stupid because why on earth would I pay to walk 13 miles and not get anything out of it except a lot of sweat. I hate sweating. But she head butted me (for real, she is mean) and threatened me and now I really am scared so I have to at least try something.

So there you have it. Some of these goals I can see myself reaching. Others...only time will tell.

You've put together a good list of goals! You're right that it's better to do it that way than to be overly ambitious (e.g., I'm going to lose ten pounds by Monday).

I plan to make more freezer meals, but need to find recipes. (My freezer is stocked with manicotti, meatballs, and eggplant parm, but nothing without cheese and sauce!) I'm also checking out the housekeeping schedule you linked. And let me know if I can help with menu planning; I've always done it, but Menu Plan Monday has helped keep me accountable.

I'm proud of you!! these are great things to strive for :) I am working on getting up earlier, going to bed earlier and staying healthy because that's what will make me happier in the long run!! Happy New Year Amanda!!! xox

I'd like to be better with couponing. I cut them out faithfully and then rarely remember to bring them into the store when I shop. The best ones for me are the ones Kroger sends in the mail that are for Kroger brand items that I frequently purchase. I love those! I need to be better about checking the sale paper, too.

I just wanted to let you know i had a little laugh today reading your blog about paying to walk 13 miles and not getting anything out of it. I remember the days you hating sweating in my class!! Thanks for the fun memories!

Girl,I need to do ALL OF THE ABOVE. I used to be a runner...like a serious runner...even placed in my age groups in some 5ks. I had it GOING ON...before I almost died and got my pacemaker and now dysautonomia. I had gotten back to running...I SHOULD have stayed with 3 miles or so, BUT me being me, I went overboard.Ran 5 miles one day and haven't run since (2 months ago). It almost pushed me physically over the edge...My goal is to get back to it!! I want to run 3 miles every other day...heck, maybe even 2 miles. I just want to DO IT!

Oh yeah, I guess I need to work on meal planning, being organized, and all that other stuff too ;)

Thanks so much for featuring my little home notebook on your blog! I feel so special! Girl, you have me INSPIRED with your goals. I so need to set some time aside today to write my goals for the year. I've got some ideas floating in my head but I need to get them down. Thanks for the inspiration!

Thanks so much for featuring my little home notebook on your blog! I feel so special! Girl, you have me INSPIRED with your goals. I so need to set some time aside today to write my goals for the year. I've got some ideas floating in my head but I need to get them down. Thanks for the inspiration!

Happy new year, Amanda! We had a quiet and cozy evening at home, too, and I had a hard time keeping my eyes propped open until midnight. (The kids, however, were WIRED, and not sleepy at all. Of course.)

This is Me

I'm a stay-at-home mom of three kids, a fluffy Pomeranian, and a rambunctious German Shepherd puppy. Happily married to T. We live in Virginia, but I secretly dream of what it would be like to have a place in NYC to escape to for random girls' shopping weekends. Target is my home away from home. I stay sane by doing creative projects around my home and taking lots of pictures. Stick around for realistic inspiration...on a budget!

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